U.S. patent number 4,700,706 [Application Number 06/825,336] was granted by the patent office on 1987-10-20 for cold and warm pack for physiotherapy and the like.
Invention is credited to Walter Munch.
United States Patent |
4,700,706 |
Munch |
October 20, 1987 |
Cold and warm pack for physiotherapy and the like
Abstract
A temperature-storage pack has a tightly bonded sleeve partly
filled with temperature-storage material that is kneadable,
non-flowing and lacking component builder substances and included
air. The sleeve is formed from a vacuum-formed cup-shaped section
bonded to a planar part.
Inventors: |
Munch; Walter (7031 Gaufelden
2, DE) |
Family
ID: |
6231822 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/825,336 |
Filed: |
February 3, 1986 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
607/96; 604/113;
62/530 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
7/02 (20130101); A61F 7/10 (20130101); A61F
2007/0271 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
7/00 (20060101); A61F 7/10 (20060101); A61F
007/10 (); F25D 003/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/402,403
;62/530 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0036910 |
|
Oct 1981 |
|
EP |
|
1930103 |
|
Dec 1965 |
|
DE |
|
8130330 |
|
Mar 1983 |
|
DE |
|
1600505 |
|
Oct 1981 |
|
GB |
|
Other References
Search Report of German application P 34 11 357.6..
|
Primary Examiner: Oechsle; Anton O.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Steele, Gould & Fried
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A temperature storage pack for physiotherapy and the like,
comprising: a tightly bonded sleeve made from a flexible foil, the
foil having two tightly-bonded together foil portions, one of the
portions being cup-shaped and having a peripheral flanged edge, the
other of the portions being planar and having a periphery bonded to
the flanged edge of the cup-shaped portion, the cup-shape portion
being deep-drawn; and,
a temperature-storing filling in the sleeve, the sleeve being only
filled to part of its filling capacity and substantially without
the inclusion of air, the filling being a kneadable, non-freely
flowing filling material having no discrete bodies large enough to
be visible to the eye.
2. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the filling material is
kneadable in the temperature range of at least -30.degree. C. to 30
50.degree. C.
3. A pack according to either of the claims 1 or claim 2 wherein
the filling material contains a thickener.
4. A pack according to claim 3, wherein the thickener is insoluble
in the remaining constituents of the filling material.
5. A pack according to claim 3 wherein the thickener is based on
silicic acid.
6. A pack according to claim 3, wherein the thickener is
inorganic.
7. A pack according to claim 4, wherein the thickener is based on
silicic acid.
8. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the filling material
contains water, at least one of organic antifreeze and at least one
salt.
9. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the filling material
contains an antifreeze based on glycol.
10. A pack according to claim 9, wherein the filling material
contains an anti-freeze based on propylene-glycol.
11. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the filling material is
free from builder substances in a form of bodies having a particle
size over 1 mm.
12. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve is flat in an
unshaped state and has a substantially rectangular
cross-section.
13. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve of the pack is
filled to less than 50%.
14. A pack according to claim 13, wherein the sleeve is filled
between 15 and less than 50%.
15. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the pack has a thickness
of 6 to 20 mm in an unshaped state.
16. A pack according to claim 15, wherein the pack has a thickness
of 8 to 15 mm in the unshaped state.
17. A pack according to claim 1 wherein its filling has a viscosity
between 20,000 and 200,000 poises.
18. A pack according to claim 17, wherein the filling has a
viscosity between 50,000 and 150,000 poises.
19. A pack according to claim 17, wherein the filling has a
viscosity between 80,000 and 100,000 poises.
20. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the portions forming the
sleeve are in each case constituted by a composite foil.
21. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the pack is joined to at
least one further, correspondingly constructed pack, by means of an
edge common to both packs, the edge subdividing the two packs being
sufficiently wide that the two packs can be flapped against one
another.
22. A pack according to claim 21, wherein the pack and the
correspondingly constructed pack are joined along a longitudinal
edge common to both packs.
23. The pack of claim 1, wherein the filling material is vacuum
packed in the sleeve.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cold and warm pack for
physiotherapy and the like with a tightly bonded or welded sleeve
made from a flexible foil, film or sheet and a heat-storing or
cold-storing filling.
Hot and cold compresses and poultices have long been used as a
therapeutic aid in the treatment of bruises, strains and similar
injuries and are highly esteemed by Doctors and patients, because
they can be applied without difficulty to the parts of the body to
be treated, prevent the formation of unnecessary swelling and
rapidly act in a soothing manner. The same applies with regard to
the packs of the aforementioned type, which have the advantage
compared with the above-indicated compresses and poultices that
they can be applied dry, which is appreciated by the patient.
Initially such packs filled with water, so that they could be
heated or cooled without difficulty in water bath. A more
pronounced or longer-lasting cooling action of such packs could be
obtained by placing them in a refrigerator or deep-freeze. However,
longer storage in a refrigerator or deep-freeze caused the contents
to become solidly frozen, with the disadvantage that the originally
flexible pack was converted into a rigid structure which, on
application to an uneven surface, e.g. a knee joint, assumed
non-uniform contact and consequently a non-uniform heat transfer.
Therefore packs of the aforementioned type were developed, whose
filling consisted of a glycol--water mixture, which did not change
as rapidly into a rigid structure. However, such packs have not
proved completely satisfactory in practice because it was also not
possible to prevent in their case that the liquid content thereof
would be non-uniformly distributed when placed on an uneven
substrate, so that they fail to ensure a uniform heat transfer.
It has therefore been proposed to place a foam insert impregnated
with a heat-storing or cold-storing fluid in the interior of the
pack sleeve. However, as a result of the given shape of the foam
insert, the ability of such a pack to adapt to an uneven surface is
limited. In addition, this foam insert unnecessarily decreases the
heat and cold storage capacity of the pack. The latter also applies
with respect to those packs, whose interior contains closed-cell
foam bodies, e.g. balls, in addition to heat or cold-storing fluid,
because such foam bodies also reduce the heat or cold storage
capacity of the pack. In addition, the known packs freeze when kept
for long periods at below -15.degree. C.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problem of the invention is therefore to provide a pack of the
aforementioned type, which can be adapted without difficulty to an
uneven substrate and which ensures a uniform heat transfer, while
having a good heat or cold storage capacity.
According to the invention, this problem is solved by a pack of the
aforementioned type containing a kneadable and no longer freely
flowing, heat or cold-storing filling, i.e. a filling which,
without losing its resiliency, can deform in such a way that it
retains its given shape and does not "flow away" following gravity.
This filling is preferably kneadable in a temperature range of at
least -30.degree. C. to +50.degree. C., so that the inventive pack
can be used in a correspondingly dimensioned temperature range.
The filling of the pack according to the invention can contain a
thickener, preferably an inorganic thickener. According to a
particularly preferred embodiment, the thickener in the filling is
insoluble and in particular a solids powder. Thickeners based on
silicic acid are suitable. e.g. based on pyrogenic or precipitated
silicic acid, as are commercially available under the trade name
Aerosil. Other additives bringing about a swelling action are also
suitable as thickeners and can give the filling material e.g.
gelatinous or thixotropic properties.
The filling of the pack according to the invention preferably
contains water, as well as a salt and/or organic antifreeze, the
latter preferably being based on glycol, particularly
propylene-glycol.
The filling of the pack according to the invention is preferably
free from large builder substances or elements and in particular
free from those having a particle size over 1 mm, so that the
kneading shaping of the pack is ensured. If insoluble fillers are
used for thickening purposes, then their content in the filling
material is preferably at the most such that the volume proportion
of the liquid continuous phase is greater than the pore volume of
the insoluble fillers.
The filling is preferably vacuum packed in the envelope or sleeve
associated therewith, said sleeve preferably being formed from two
tightly bonded together foil or film portions, whereof one has a
cup-like construction including an all-round edge or rim, whereas
the other is planar. The cup-shaped sleeve portion can be a
deep-drawn part. The latter has the advantage that the pack can be
produced, filled and closed in a single apparatus using two foil
webs.
The pack according to the invention is preferably constructed in
such a way that in the unshaped state it is substantially flat and
has a substantially rectangular cross-section.
A good deformability is obtained if the pack is less than 50%
filled, the degree of filling thereof being dependent on its
dimensions, i.e. the larger the pack the smaller can be its degree
of filling.
In the unshaped state, the pack thickness is 6 to 20 mm and
preferably 8 to 15 mm. The preferably substantially
temperature-independent viscosity of the filling can be between
20,000 and 200,000 poises, particularly between 50,000 and 150,000
poises. The preferred viscosity range is between 80,000 and 100,000
poises.
The parts forming the sleeve are preferably in each case made from
a composite foil in order to increase the strength.
The pack according to the invention can be connected to at least
one, correspondingly constructed pack, preferably via a rim or edge
common to both packs and which is preferably a longitudinal edge.
Between adjacent packs, there is preferably a strip which is wide
enough to enable the two packs to be folded over against one
another.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative
to a non-limitative embodiment and with reference to the attached
diagrammatic drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of three interconnected packs according to
the invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the packs shown in FIG.
1.
FIG. 3 is the detail designated III in FIG. 2 on a larger
scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The rectangular packs 1 shown in plan view in FIGS. 1 and 2 in each
case comprise a sleeve filled with a filling 2, and three sleeves
in each case comprising two tightly bonded together, flexible foil
or film portions, between which the filling 2 is vacuum-packed. One
of these foil portions is constructed as a cup 3, provided with an
all-round flanged edge 4, whereas the other of said foil portions
is planar, forming a cover 5. The cup-shaped foil portions 3 are
produced from a composite foil in a deep drawing process (i.e.,
vacuum forming) and are connected by means of a strip 7 joining
their edges 4.
The foil portion 3, 5 forming the three packs 1 are bonded to one
another and namely in the region 6 surrounding the packs in such a
way that the foils there have a structured and preferably slightly
burled surface, whilst there is a smooth surface in the
intermediate region 7. In the surface-smooth region 7, the three
packs can be separated from one another without difficulty by
scissors or a sharp knife, so that three individual packs are
obtained.
All three packs 1 are uniformly filled with a filling quantity,
which corresponds roughly to one third of the filling quantity
which can be housed in their sleeves in the case of a corresponding
bulging of the three packs 1. As a result, the three packs can be
shaped without loss of resiliency, which would not be possible if
the sleeves were completely filled. The fillings 2 of the three
packs 1 can be shaped, kneaded and displaced in a random manner,
i.e. pressed away due to the limited degree of filling between the
pack walls and in this way the pack can be adapted to the
particular substrate, without any tendency to recover a shape due
to by the resiliency of the sleeve or filling.
Filling 2 of packs 1 comprises a substantially non-flowable mixture
of water, glycol, salt and finely dispersed silicic acid, the
latter having a fineness such that the individual particles are not
visible to the eye. The material is in fact turbid, but still
translucent. The salt, water and glycol contents can be varied
within wide limits and are preferably matched to one another in
such a way that the filling material does not freeze at -30.degree.
C., i.e. can still be adequately shaped at these temperatures. The
mixture of water, common salt, propylene-glycol and Aerosil has the
advantage that over substantially the entire temperature range of
-30.degree. to +50.degree. C. at which the pack is normally used,
it has a substantially constant viscosity. The viscosity can be
largely predetermined or set by varying the Aerosil content in the
mixture and namely within the range at which the material maintains
its given shape, but is still readily kneadable, i.e. can be
closely adapted in full-surface manner to the body part to which
the pack is to be applied.
The filling material used in the present example comprises the
following constituents:
58% H.sub.2 O
16% NaCl
16% 1,2 Propylene-glycol
9.5% Aerosil
0.5% Propyleneoxide-ethyleneoxide blockpolymer.
In general and as a function of requirements, the filling material
composition can be varied within wide limits. Preferred forms
contain:
0-70 and particularly 40-64% H.sub.2 O
0-24 and particularly 10-20% NaCl
5-90 and particularly 10-20% glycol
5-10 and particularly 8-10% dispersed, precipitated or pyrogenic
silicic acid
0-1 and particularly 0.5% propyleneoxide-ethylene-oxide
blockpolymer.
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